


your whispers are echoes in my ears

by swisstae



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BAMF Tony Stark, Confinement, Drowning, Inspired by Divergent, M/M, Multi, Sorry Not Sorry, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve is Tobias, Tony is Tris
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:28:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22401085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swisstae/pseuds/swisstae
Summary: The walls slammed into them, pulling them in so much closer than they had ever been before. Steve let out a groan, panting into Tony’s hair, as the ceiling bore down on them, forcing them to crouch. Tony slid his legs around Steve’s lap, effectively straddling him as they jumbled into a mess of limbs; he didn’t know where Tony started or where he ended.ORA Divergent AU
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 88
Collections: StarkSpangledWinter Wonderland Event





	your whispers are echoes in my ears

**Author's Note:**

> SFW Prompt #56 - Trapped in a small space together.
> 
> the second I saw this prompt, it had me hooked. Steve is Four/Tobias here, while Tony is Tris.

The walls slammed into them, pulling them in so much closer than they had ever been before. Steve let out a groan, panting into Tony’s hair, as the ceiling bore down on them, forcing them to crouch. Tony slid his legs around Steve’s lap, effectively straddling him as they jumbled into a mess of limbs; he didn’t know where Tony started or where he ended. 

“Being trapped. That’s your fear, isn’t it?” Bless Tony for being so perceptive, because Steve didn’t know how to talk about it, not without panicking further. It was bad enough to go through it alone, but having two people there made for even less space than usual. “Steve? Baby, you’ve got to breathe for me. The simulation measures your fear response, doesn’t it?” Tony kept talking, even as Steve let out a shaky breath, trying to gain control of his breathing. “So we’ve got to slow down your heart-rate. Can you do that for me, honey?”

In for eight counts, out for eight. 

Tony matched him with every inhale and exhale, softly keeping count under his breath, so as to not set him into a spiralling panic attack. Steve slowed down, his breaths evenly filtering in and out, even as the terror inside him surged with every second that passed in this ghastly simulation.

“Would talking about it help?” 

Steve clenched his fists, his body shuddering under Tony’s palms as he choked on his breath and broke out into a fit of coughing, turning his head away. Alarmed, Tony rubbed a hand up and down his back, stroking at the nape of his neck, leaning forward and ghosting butterfly kisses up his throat. He whispered gently, “We don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to,” the brush of his lips featherlight on Steve’s ear. 

Steve turned up his lips into a wry smile as Tony pulled back, hesitation and sympathy warring over his features as he tried to gauge what it was that Steve wanted. Steve _wanted_ , he wanted it, him, _everything_ so badly that his body ached with the thought of letting Tony go again. He forced himself to let out a chuckle, pressed himself against the long line of Tony’s body and whispered the words into the skin of his throat. “This, uh, this one is from when I accidentally locked myself into the school supplies cupboard, and I was stranded for nearly two days without food or water. I passed out at around the thirty-fourth hour, and no one could find me.” 

He feels, rather than sees Tony’s suppressed gasp of horror, exhaled quietly against his skin. "Jesus fuck, Stevie, what kind of shit did you get yourself into, before I came along?" Steve lets out a ragged chuckle but the walls press against them further and his heartbeat ratchets up, quicker than ever. “Shit. Shit- this is bad. This is really bad.” 

“Shh, just, just feel my heartbeat. Can you feel how steady it is?” Tony guides his hand to the pulse in his neck, letting Steve’s thumb and forefinger press down on his pulse point. It’s racing, just like Steve’s own, and suddenly Steve wants to laugh. 

“It’s almost as fast as mine, Tony. You sure you’re not scared too?” Steve says, teasingly, his smile stretching out to show his teeth even in the near darkness. 

“Oh, shut up, you know that’s not the reason.” Tony barked out, his voice high and breathless as Steve muffled his laughter against his shirt, bending forward as far as he could to lean his head on Tony’s shoulder. 

The sound of his laughter broke the spell, as the walls melted away and they could breathe again. Steve stood up and smiled at Tony, only for the floor to suddenly fade away, and fall back into the icy depths of the lake. _Oh god_ , he thought, _this never gets any easier._ He thrashed like a madman, trying to swim up to the surface, trying to _breathe_ before he drowned again and again and _again_. He gasped, feeling the ice-cold of the water fill his mouth, burning his throat from the inside as he swallowed it. His salty tears mixed with the water, his noiseless pants constricting his lungs as he tried to think his way out of here, to no avail. 

A hand reached out to him, hazy in the murky darkness of his watery grave, but he managed to grasp the fingertips as it pulled him up to the surface, dizzyingly fast. Steve gasped out, his lungs burning with the effort to breathe, as someone crouched down next to him, petting his hair, whispering nonsensical sounding words to him which pulled him from his thoughts as he looked up to see Tony’s worried face. 

“You okay there, Steve? Do you want to talk about it?” Steve shuts his eyes tightly, grabbing Tony’s hand to keep him anchored as he tells the story of a young boy, foolish enough to skate on the half frozen lake in the middle of winter, a tale of frozen hands and limbs and raw, biting, _piercing_ water that threatened to choke the life out of you. Tony looks at him, no trace of pity or fear on his face, as he mutters gently, softly, _lovingly_ , “I’m so sorry, baby, I got you now, I got you,” and Steve has never felt so alive, so perfectly _whole_ , as he does in this moment. He grabs Tony and pulls him into his arms, tucking his head in the junction of his shoulder, nuzzling at his neck. Tony hesitates, clearly, because he is stiff in Steve’s arms, hardly breathing, but then melts against him, looping his arms around Steve’s neck. “Hey, hey, look. We got through it.” 

Steve pulls back just enough, to see Tony’s face as the lights click on, evidently ending the simulation. He shakes his head, pulling him closer to murmur in his ear, “You got me through it, Tony.” 

There is silence for a moment, as they try to even out their unsteady breathing, suddenly broken by a voice in the room. 

“You definitely managed to pull him out faster than I did, the first time round.” 

Tony swivelled around to see Bucky standing there leaning against the door, his arms crossed against his chest. He smiled, feeling the corners of his eyes crinkle up as he bounded over to him and pulled him into a hug. 

“See, that’s what you get for being an Erudite before shifting factions.” Tony pulled back to pat Bucky on the cheek condescendingly. “You’re just that much smarter, baby.” 

Bucky chuckled, pulling him in closer, his eyes locking with Steve above Tony’s shoulder, as he moved closer to them. “Guess the Dauntless need just that much more of smartness going ‘round, because we’d never have made it without you, Tony.” 

Steve smiles at them both, enveloping them into his arms as he let out a loose laugh, burdened with nothing but pure unadulterated _love_ for these two men. “Guess we just needed _you_.”


End file.
